5.5.1. SO “Preserve, protect and develop significant culture and natural heritage and promote the services related thereto”
The Ministry of Culture carries out the implementation of the 5.5.1.SO in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. However, the content planning is ensured in cooperation with the National Heritage Protection Inspection. It is intended to implement collaborative projects (i.e. carried out by multiple project partners) in order to promote ideas that are integrated and suited to the needs of each territory.
In accordance with the operational programme “Growth and Employment”, project applicants for the 5.5.1.SO may be local municipalities or municipal authorities. Furthermore, project partners under the management of project applicant may be local municipalities, planning regions, cultural and natural heritage owners (NGOs, foundations, religious organisations, legal persons or natural person registered in the Commercial Register), enterprises and government authorities.
5.5.1. SO project selection is carried out in the form of a limited project application selection.
Supported activities of the 5.5.1. SO: Restoration, renovation and rebuilding of cultural and natural heritage sites and the related infrastructure, building new infrastructure based on the development programmes of local municipalities in order to improve and to add new services provided there, as well as to improve accessibility of the sites and to carry out research of cultural heritage.
The condition for investments in cultural heritage sites is also a long-term operational strategy for the investment return of the object concerned. The strategy has to substantiate the demand for services provided in the site and provide for the long-term maintenance of the facility without creating an additional financial burden for the local municipality and the State. In each case, the socio-economic benefits from the investments have to be higher than the cost of maintaining the object.
The total available funding from the European Regional development fund for the 5.5.1. SO is EUR 35 190 555 for the first two rounds and up to EUR 24 919 516 for the third round.
5.5.1. is carried out in three rounds, thus ensuring territorial division of the ERDF funds. Within the first round EUR 20 190 555 are available to the local municipalities across Latvia, with the exception of coastal municipalities. Within the second round EUR 15 000 000 are available to all coastal municipalities except Riga.
Within the third round ERDF grants in the total amount up to EUR 24 919 516 shall be available, whereas the national funding shall be at least EUR 4 397 562. This funding is available to the development centres of national importance in local municipalities.
List of the approved and ongoing projects:
| Project No | Title | ERDF co-financing, EUR | Cultural and natural heritage sites |
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/004 | Culture, history and architecture in the bends of time and the river Gauja |
6 000 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/008 | Cultural heritage and art creation magnets on Jēkabs route | 3 150 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/007 | Values of the New Europe |
5 000 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/002 | Conservation and development of significant cultural heritage for the development of cultural tourism services in Semigallia region | 2 500 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/001 | The route of light through the centuries |
2 000 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/005 | Conservation and development of the cultural heritage on the Daugava route | 1 500 000 |
|
| 5.5.1.0/17/I/003 | Conservation and exhibition of North-Courland cultural and natural heritage and development of tourism services | 4 500 000 |
|